Psalm 48

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain.

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Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King.

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God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold.

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For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, They passed by together.

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They saw it, then they were amazed; They were terrified, they fled in alarm.

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Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.

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With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish.

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As we have heard, so have we seen In the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever. Selah.

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We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple.

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As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.

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Let Mount Zion be glad, Let the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments.

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Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;

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Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation.

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For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. 49 The Folly of Trusting in Riches. For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Psalm 49

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Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,

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Both low and high, Rich and poor together.

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My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.

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I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.

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Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,

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Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches?

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No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him

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For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever

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That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.

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For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.

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Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.

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But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

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This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.

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As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.

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But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.

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Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;

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For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.

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Though while he lives he congratulates himself And though men praise you when you do well for yourself

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He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.

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Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish. 50 God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked. A Psalm of Asaph.

Psalm 50

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The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

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Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.

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May our God come and not keep silence; Fire devours before Him, And it is very tempestuous around Him.

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He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people:

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"Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.'

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And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is judge. Selah.

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" Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God.

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"I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.

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"I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds.

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"For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.

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"I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

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"If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.

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"Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats?

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"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;

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Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.'

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But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth?

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"For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you.

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"When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers.

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"You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit.

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"You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son.

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"These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.

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"Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.

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"He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.' 51 A Contrite Sinner's Prayer for Pardon. For the choir director.A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.